Summer in the southern hemisphere: Australia suffocates under record-breaking temperatures

AFP

AFP

Sunday, January 7, 2018 05:01

UPDATE
Sunday, January 7, 2018 05:01

Look at this article

SYDNEY, Australia | Sydney has been known on this Sunday of the austral summer one of the hottest days ever recorded, while the scorching temperatures drove the players of tennis courts.

The largest city in Australia has recorded its hottest day since 1939, with the mercury to 47.3 degrees Celsius on the outskirts of Penrith.

The stars of tennis were referred to the courts on Sunday at the Sydney International, a warm-up before the Australian Open, because of the heat above 40 degrees Celsius.

The weather has been because of the French Kristina Mladenovic, a part in the middle of the match. “43 degrees but probably 50 on the short when I started,” said the number 11 global on Twitter. “I’m sorry for the fans. I believe that this is the first time in my career that I quit a match. This is all to say.”

At the same time, the authorities have prohibited to make a fire to avoid the forest fires that are common during the summer. Several accidents were reported Saturday, razing of houses in the States of Victoria and South Australia.

According to the Bureau of meteorology (CSIRO), the temperature rose about a degree Celsius since 1910 in the vast country-continent.

During the last summer (of December 2016 to February 2017), more than 200 weather records had been identified across the country, between episodes of intense heat, forest fires and floods.

According to climatologists, climate change has caused rising temperatures on land and at sea, leading to episodes of extreme weather.

Because of its relatively small population (24 million inhabitants), having regard to the size of its territory, and of its very high reliance on coal, Australia is one of the worst emitters per capita of greenhouse gas emissions.